Cellies and living space
Who you sleep next to, how much of that you control, and what to do when it goes wrong. Less than you would like, and more than you expect.
When your cellie is the problem
What do I do if I hate my cellie?
Copy linkGo to your
Not the officer. This is the first instinct people from the outside get wrong, and going to staff about a housing problem your own
What's a rep?
Copy linkThe person who speaks for a car. They handle its business with the other groups and, informally, with the rest of the unit.
They are not a
Practically: if you have a problem with another inmate, you take it to the rep and not to the person themselves.
What if my cellie steals from me?
Copy linkTell your rep.
Understand what you are starting, though. Theft is the one thing the population takes seriously on its own, and it is the closest thing to an absolute rule in the building. Do not raise it unless you are sure.
What if my cellie won't shower?
Copy linkTell them they need to shower. This is a normal conversation and it is yours to have.
What if my cellie is a sex offender?
Copy linkYour cellie will almost always be someone from your own car.
If they are not, you probably will not be cellies for long unless there is an explicit understanding and everyone has bought in. The federal system is self-policing on this and even the officers know how it works.
What if my cellie is doing something that'll get me a shot?
Copy linkIt does not usually work that way.
That is not a guarantee, and a locker is treated as yours, so what is in yours is yours. But the nightmare scenario where you eat their write-up is not the normal outcome.
Where you sleep and what fits
Can I request a specific cellie?
Copy linkYes, and unit counselors are usually reasonable about it.
Ask in writing, ask once, and ask when nothing is on fire. How to ask for anything and actually get it applies here as much as anywhere.
Do I get a top or bottom bunk? Can I ask for bottom?
Copy linkAsk your cellie first. If you genuinely need a bottom bunk, a bottom bunk pass is obtainable through medical with enough persistence.
How much property am I allowed to have?
Copy linkWhatever fits in your locker.
That is the working rule and it is enforced by physics before anyone enforces it by policy. Buy accordingly.
What happens to my property when I transfer?
Copy linkIt goes with you. Good question, and the answer is better than people expect.
How do I sleep with the lights and the noise?
Copy linkI lived on earplugs. The lights are reasonable at night.
Can I put up pictures?
Copy linkYes.
What your people can actually send you is a separate question with real rules attached, and those are in PS 5265.14, Correspondence.
Sex, loneliness, and the body
The fear almost everyone arrives with, and the questions nobody wants to ask out loud. Both answered plainly, because the television version is wrong.
Hand the rest of this site to your family
You will not be able to look things up once you're inside. They can, and this is where: everything written for the one waiting — a twelve-part guide to mail, visiting, money, and your release date, plus their own FAQ and checklist. Alongside it, a guide to every facility with email alerts when visiting stops, the support group directory, calculators for your release math, and free answers when they have questions.
Send them the link before you report, not after they can't reach you.
These pages cover the general rules. Your situation has details they don't. Email me a question. Answers are free, and "you don't need to pay anyone for this" is my most common answer.
I answer in the order received, usually within a couple of days. I have a day job. If your situation genuinely needs more than an email, I take a limited number of consults, so say so and we'll work it out.
If this answered something, it'll answer it for someone else too.